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"They are fishing in a different pool," said Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, a retired university president who now works for an executive search firm in Washington, D.C.

Trachtenberg said it shouldn't be hard for Sacred Heart to find a president. The challenge will be to find the right president.

"First, you had someone in the job for 22 years ... so they've been out of the competition for a long time," said Trachtenberg. The university is also limited by the fact that the new president will undoubtedly be Catholic.

"That pulls all the non-Catholics out of the game," said Trachtenberg, who went on to suggest perhaps the university should tap outgoing U.S. Sen Chris Dodd -- who is Catholic.

Sacred Heart's search committee will include representatives from the board of trustees, faculty, and administration. Alumni and members of the student body will participate in the interviewing process. The goal is to have a new president in place by the beginning of the 2011-12 academic year, Morley said.

"We are going to conduct a national search to find a candidate who can build on the many strengths of Sacred Heart and continue the tradition of excellence that has characterized the university since its founding," Morley said. "We are looking for a person of integrity and vision: someone devoted to the Catholic intellectual tradition who demonstrates the personal and professional qualities that are most consistent with our unique mission."

Sacred Heart University, which until two decades ago was a small commuter college, is now the second-largest Catholic university in New England with more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The school enrolled its largest freshman class ever in 2010. From its founding in 1963, Sacred Heart has been led and staffed by lay people. Morley expects that the new president will be a lay person. "Of course, the position is open to all qualified men and women who are devoted to the Catholic intellectual tradition," he said.

The first task for the committee is to develop a job description for the position. An executive recruitment firm will be retained to conduct a national search.

John J. Petillo, the dean of the university's John F. Welch College of Business since March 2009, is filling in as interim president. In a recent interview, Petillo said he was not certain whether to seek the job permanently. Morley indicated nominations from members of the Sacred Heart community would be considered.

Trachtenberg, president emeritus at George Washington University and once president at the University of Hartford, said there will undoubtedly be a big pool of candidates vying for a job that pays $350,000 or more -- Cernera had a package that topped $550,000. The trick will be to find someone with fundraising skills and aware of the grinding job it is.